Our Team

Reliably guiding you through business & life.

Whether you have an existing challenge to deal with or want to plan ahead to keep your global goals for the future on track, Thornton Legal can guide you to a successful outcome. When you want a team of lawyers with specialised expertise, an outstanding track record and the interests of your long term success at heart, speak to the friendly team at Thornton Legal. We're ready to help.

Our Team

People are the heart of Thornton Legal and our compact team is focussed on delivering the best possible legal solutions to our clients’ needs. We are not the Gold Coast’s largest law firm, nor do we want to be, because our focus is on personal and cost-effective service to each of our clients.

Our key team members are:

Barry Thornton

Barry is the Managing Director and Legal Practice Director of Thornton Legal and leads the Thornton Legal team. He started the firm in 2009 after an extensive legal career which began in Brisbane and then on the Gold Coast, with more than 16 years at Price & Roobottom where he was its Commercial Law Partner for 11 years and then the firm’s Managing Partner.

He grew up in Brisbane’s southside and graduated from QUT with degrees in Business and Law. Barry moved to the Gold Coast in 1992 where he and his family have embraced the Gold Coast lifestyle. Barry has been married to Glenis since 1991 and they are enormously proud of their three children.

Barry’s legal background began with litigation and then wills and estates, and is now focused around advising business clients. For him, the most satisfying aspect of his work is giving clients peace of mind and in particular giving clients certainty over their legal needs where things might otherwise be uncertain, unfair or just scary.

Away from the legal world, Barry describes himself as a keen social tennis player and occasional golfer and enthusiastic sports spectator. Barry also is a key member of Crosslife - a Baptist church at its Helensvale campus.

Lana Joukhadar-Lun

She has been a part of Thornton Legal since its inception and before that was part of the Price & Roobottom team where she began as a receptionist in1996, straight from school, and went on to study law. Lana chose law as a career field as she wanted something that would be challenging and intellectually stimulating.

She spent some time working at Ayers Rock then five years with a Sydney law firm before returning to the Gold Coast in 2006 where she grew up. She is a past student of Emmanuel College and also attends Newlife Uniting Church at Robina. Her high school sweetheart and now husband is an accountant and the couple have three young children, two of whom who are studying at Emmanuel College.

Away from the office Lana has interests in sewing, cake decorating cooking and yoga.

Rob Davey

Rob brings a quirky sense of humour to his role as a solicitor with Thornton Legal, describing his non-lawyer office functions as “Change the light-bulbs, swap the water bottles, eat everyone’s leftovers and occasionally assist with legal work”.

In fact Rob handles most of the firm’s leasing and commercial legal work as well as many of the more litigious matters which come into the firm. He also assists with wills and estate litigation matters.

Rob joined the firm in 2011 and notes that originally he did not intend to practice law, but embarked on a career in finance. After a stint in investment banking he moved into a role with a youth and children’s charity helping young people for several years, including as a Chaplain.

Rob enjoys finding “win-win” outcomes for our clients, particularly in commercial contexts where maintaining business relationships is a key need, is also embracing the challenge of upskilling in the area of mediation.

He gets a real ‘buzz’ from helping people and thrives on working for a firm that genuinely cares for its clients and the wider community and whose core values align with his own.

Rob grew up in NSW but moved to the Gold Coast for high school and, other than a stint in investment banking in Sydney, regards himself as a committed Gold Coaster .

The plight of young people and families on the Gold Coast remains a passion of his. He is part of the leadership team at Beachside Christian Church in Palm Beach.

Outside work his interests traverse surfing, the Mermaid Beach lifestyle and rugby league. He is a passionate Wests Tigers fan.

Annette Gulle

Annette shines as our Conveyancing Paralegal and with more than 25 years’ experience in the industry we think she’s the best on the Gold Coast. Annette’s role embraces client file management, plus all facets of conveyancing from cottage conveyancing to large development schemes.

She regards achieving a successful outcome for the clients as the most satisfying aspect of her work.

Born in Victoria, Annette has lived on the Gold Coast for most of her adult life. She regards walking and travel as her key interests.

Natalie Dale

Natalie is our Conveyancing Paralegal and she thrives on dotting the i's and crossing the t's to ensure smooth and trouble free property transactions for our clients.

Natalie joined Thornton Legal in 2015 after beginning her legal career as a junior with a Toomwoomba firm and developing an interest in law. She moved to the Gold Coast with her young son in mid 2015 and quickly settled in as a member of the Thornton Legal team.

Helping people buy their first home is a particularly satisfying job highlight for her and when not working, Natalie thrives on enjoying the Gold Coast beach lifestyle with her son.

Helen Russell

Helen is the indispensable Personal Assistant to Barry Thornton and her administrative talents assist with the smooth running of the office.

She has been with Thornton Legal since the firm commenced in 2009 and was previously with the firm's predecessor, Price & Roobottom since 1979.

Helen has worked in the legal field all her working life and finds the work always interesting and varied with something new to learn. Helping clients in a friendly and helpful way is a job highlight for her.

She and her husband both grew up in Southport and the couple have two adult sons, a granddaughter and a spoilt Chocolate Border Collie. Much of her spare time is spent being taken for walks by her Border Collie.

Helen dotes on her granddaughter and she and her husband are also enthusiastic caravan and camping people, travelling extensively within Australia.

Karen Bell

Karen is a Paralegal/Personal Assistant to both Lana and Rob and assists with Estate Administration and Wills. She has worked in law for around 23 years.

Karen has lived on the Gold Coast for 34 years after moving from Melbourne. She has been married to husband Tony for 25 years and they have two teenage children.

Karen joined Thornton Legal in 2012 but her legal career dates back to Thornton Legal’s predecessor firm Price & Roobottom in 1992. In the years since, her career was juggled around having two children and working at other law firms before settling at Thornton Legal.

Her legal background includes experience in litigation as well as in Wills and Estates. She regards being able to help people as a real plus in the job, especially helping those coping with the loss of a loved one. Helping people work through the paperwork and legal requirements to finalise a loved one’s Will and estate

Away from the office Karen enjoys exercise and going to the gym. She is also focused on helping her father who had a stroke about 18 years ago and suffers a significant disability. Karen cares for her father on a regular basis to help him continue to live independently.

Alexandra Faka'ata

Alex is our Accounts Manager and toils behind the scenes taking care of the bookkeeping, HR matters and the absolutely crucial task of the staff payroll. She started with the firm's predecessor Price & Roobottom Solicitors in October 2007 and, like several others, migrated to Thornton Legal from Price & Roobottom.

Alex regards being organised and having the firm run smoothly as the most satisfying aspect of her job. Alex looks after Thornton Legal’s accounting records and trust account and ensures all the bills get paid.

She is a born and bred Gold Coaster and was recently married to Thomas. She also dotes on a small fluffy Maltese X Shih Tzu dog and regards reading, cooking and taking her dog to the beach at weekends as her after work hobbies.